Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-13
THE FIREMEN.
Continued from First Poqe.

per, with no thought of your own ad-
vanCement.
What grand retrospection is before
us,.as grateful memory draws the curtain
from the stage of your achievements.
Scene after scene of self-sacrifce and
heroism is recalled as 1 speak. See yon
burning building, it is all some poor man
has; his home, the dearest spot on earth
to him. Quick to the alarm your gallant
band responds, fighting as never heroes
fought before, striving with might and
main for victory, triumph gained, q
little heaven retained on earth, home
saved by brave, daring, fremen.
See yon tottering withdrawing as II
moved by wind-there, dauntless, intrepid,
fearless, the fireman, without thought
of life, where danger is thickest, works
to save some merchants property. What
suspense as we watch the struggle, amidst
smoke and flames, amidst Kissing streams
OF water, amidst crash and fall of heavy
walls, until raging destruction is stayed
by the manned, unpaid hero-the
fireman.
Hear the piercing Shrek of the agon-
ICED mother, whose child is left the help
less victim to an awful death. o, God!
my child, will no one save my child.
Ere the words have left her mouth-see
a man climbing ladder-see the forked,
Kissing, scathing flames darting in all
directions, in the very jaws of death the
brave man springs, OH what moments of
suspense, not sound is heard, but see,
he reappears, bearing in his arms the lit
tie one, his bosom bare, his shirt wrapped
around his charge, he comes, fighting
death itself. A joyous cry echoes from g
thousand throats, the mother clasps her
loved one to her heart, saved with the
life of fireman. But what of that gal
liant man, ne reels, totters and sinks in
the arms of his comrades, he gasps "BOys,
is the child safe," smiles family and
sinks to rest. So dies a fireman. No
monument, gentlemen, has been erected
to commemorate their deeds of neroism.
But the time is here, when a grateful
people should erect a monument to the
gallant firemen whose deeds OF valOr
would pale into inSignIficance the great
est achievement of warriors or statesmen.
Let it be cOnsecr6ted to those who died
so nobly in the discharge of their duty.
Let the structure proclaim their great
ness. Let infancy learn the purpose Of
it's erection from maternal lips aud that
weary and withered age may behold it,
and be soIaced by the grandeur it sug-
gests; let the column rising toward
Heaven, among the pointed spires of so
many temples dedicated to God, con-
tribute to produce ia all minds rever-
end and pious feeling of love to those
brave heroes. In the inspired language
of the immortal Webster: "Let it rise till
it meets the sun in his coming, let the
earliest light of the morning gid it, and
parting day linger and play on its sum-
mit.'
Brave men, preservers of our homes,
our property and our lives-heroes of a
thousand battles-I bid you welcome,
thrice welcome to the Queen City of the
Prairies.
NOTES.
One of the pleasant occurrences of the
proceedings was the presentation of a
badge and medal by Mr.. W. F. Banks, on
behalf of the Temple Fire Department, to
Chief P L. Downs.
A number of ladies are attending the
convention, most of whom come in the
regulation navy blue.
There is one cOlored delegate on hand.
Nat Q. Henderson of the Record is here
looking on.
The convention is composed of as fine
q lot of fellows as you would like to see
it beats the Texas Legislature for good
looks,
OFF FOR TEMPLE